


Starlight

by Spannah339



Series: Sun and Moon AU [2]
Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Moon Powers Varian (Disney), Mother Gothel's A+ Parenting, Platonic Soulmates, Sun & Moon AU, cass and raps raised together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:40:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25232524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spannah339/pseuds/Spannah339
Summary: The first time they see the lights something changes.
Relationships: Cassandra & Rapunzel (Disney: Tangled), Rapunzel & Varian (Disney)
Series: Sun and Moon AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1823434
Comments: 6
Kudos: 131





	Starlight

**Author's Note:**

> Boy can't wait until I get back to my laptop and can add my own tags mobile ao3 /kinda sucks I'm sorry/
> 
> Anyway here, new Sun and Moon story!

The frantic waving from the window stopped as soon as Gothel vanished into the cave towards the unknown world. The two girls scrambled down from the window, Rapunzel's hair flying behind her as they rushed through the tower room, hand in hand. 

"Happy birthday, Raps!" Cass shouted, grabbing Rapunzel's other hand and spinning in a small circle. They were both laughing, Rapunzel's hair weaving around them and finally causing Cass to stumble and trip, pulling Rapunzel down with her. They lay on the ground, laughing and covered in hair. 

Pascal let out a small chirp, emerging from where he had been hiding from Gothal. He leapt onto Rapunzel's shoulder and butter her cheek, cooing softly. Rapunzel grinned, pushing herself into a sitting position. 

"What're we gonna do today?" she asked, crossing her legs and wrestling her hair out of the way. Cass struggled out of the strands, climbing to her feet and holding out a hand for her younger sister. 

"Anything we want!" she said as Rapunzel shook her head, trying to get her hair out of the way. "Mother isn't coming back until  _ tomorrow _ afternoon."

"Free day!" Rapunzel cried, clapping her hands. 

"It's your birthday, Raps. What do you want to do first?" 

A grin spread over the newly seven year old's face as she grabbed Cassandra's hand. 

"I'm going to paint your face!" she said, pulling her sister to the chair in the corner of the room. Cass settled into the chair with some hesitation as Rapunzel sped upstairs to gather her paints. 

Half an hour later, the floor, the chair, Rapunzel's hair and the dresses of both girls were splattered with paint. Pascal was sitting on Rapunzel's shoulder, occasionally changing colour to match the various patches of paint that he was covered in. Rapunzel's face was screwed up in concentration as she stepped back, paintbrush in one hand, surveying her handiwork on the older girl's face. 

"Come and look!" Rapunzel cried, grabbing Cassandra's hand and dragging her towards the mirror on the other side of the room. Cassandra obliged her, following her sister across the room and standing in front of the mirror. 

Soft green patterns curled around Cassandra's face, pink flowers exploding into bloom on her cheeks. Along her forehead flew a flock of bright blue birds. She lifted a hand to touch it but stopped, realizing the paint was probably still wet. 

"Wow, Raps - that's really good," she said. Rapunzel grinned, holding out a paintbrush. 

"My turn," she said, a mischievous glint in her eyes. 

By the time they grew bored of the paints, both girls were covered. Faces, hair, clothes, floor, furniture, Pascal - everything had splashes and patches of paint. 

"I think we gotta clean up," Rapuzel said with a giggle as she tripped over a strand of her hair and nearly landed in a puddle of paint. Cass grinned, pushing hair out of her face and smearing green pain across her cheek in the process. 

"Maybe!" she laughed. "Race you to get the water!" 

Rapunzel won ("Using your hair like that is cheating, Raps!") and the paint fight quickly turned into a water fight. Everything was liberally dosed with water from the large rain barrel on the roof, then scrubbed with brushes and mops. Even Pascal was dumped into a bucket - much to his annoyment - and given a thorough clean. 

Finally, they hauled the biggest bucket in the tower downstairs and set to work on Rapunzel's hair. 

Once the tower and the girls were spotless, Rapunzel sat on the windowsill, her hair flowing outside, playing chess with Cass until it dried. 

The rest of the day was spent far quieter - filled with games and books and laughter. The sky was growing dark and Rapunzel was getting tired (but she refused to sleep - it was her birthday!) as they wound down for the day. 

Cass had suggested sleeping downstairs and the excitement of that idea was enough to send them bounding through the tower, gathering blankets and pillows and lighting the fire (Cass' job, Mother said Rapunzel must never go near the fire - and must  _ never _ let her hair be near it while it was lit). 

Finally, they settled, Rapunzel resting her head on Cassandra's lap as they breathed in the silence of a tower to themselves. It wasn't often Mother was out overnight and they determined to make the most of it. 

Cass was softly humming Rapunzel's song as she ran a brush through her sister's hair. The younger girl was just starting to drift into sleep when something caught her eye. 

Outside the open window she saw a light. For a moment, her sleep fogged brain just assumed it was a star, twinkling on the horizon. But then another joined it, and another, and another and suddenly the horizon was lit up with glowing lights. 

Rapunzel pushed herself up with a small gasp, moving slowly towards the window. Cassandra followed, a question dying as she saw the lights. The two girls leaned out the window, watching, watching as the lights floated higher and higher, more and more joining the throng. 

"Wow," Rapunzel whispered, leaning her head on her arms. Pascal chirped softly, butting her cheek and Cassandra pulled herself up onto the window seat, tucking her legs under her. "They're so pretty." 

"I think I've seen them before," Cassandra said. "Last year - it was your birthday that day as well actually. I got up for a drink of water and noticed them." 

"And you didn't tell me!" Rapunzel cried, tearing her gaze away to look up at her sister indignantly. 

"You were sleeping. Besides, Mother was home," Cassandra muttered. 

"Oh," Rapunzel said. She turned back to the lights, watching as they continued their journey into the sky. "What are they?" 

"I don't know," Cassandra said. "But they're beautiful." 

Rapunzel nodded absently, her attention on the lights. They filled her with a strange, wild longing. An excitement she didn't quite know what to do with, a need to be there, to stand under them and be among them. To watch them fly, not sitting trapped in a tower, but in the midst of them. 

"I love them," she whispered, her cheeks glowing with a soft, yellow light. 

~*~  
  


In a small village near the walls of Corona, a man sat outside, watching the lanterns as they drifted slowly overhead. Last year, he had been in the city, releasing a lantern beside his wife, their son sleeping in his arms. Now, the world was a whole lot more colder. Varian was inside asleep, too young to appreciate the lights, and his wife… 

Well, Quirin had been alone for a few months now. 

The lanterns continued coming, more and more of them, flying. Last year, he had looked on in awe, his heart moved by the effort the King and Queen put into celebrating their missing daughter. Now he could only think of the waste, wonder vaguely where the lanterns landed. 

"Da?" Varian's voice came from behind and he forced a smile. 

"Hey kiddo, why're you awa-" His voice cut off in surprise as he turned and took in the boy. 

The bright blue hair Varian was born with had faded to a dark brown when they left the Dark Kingdom, something Quirin had been quietly grateful for. Now - now the blue was back, brilliant and bright. And  _ glowing _ . 

"The lights," Varian muttered, pointing to the sky.

" _ Yeah. Lights. Glowing hair lights," _ Quirin thought, unsure of what to do. With a start he noticed the freckles on the boy's face were also glowing. 

"They're uh… they're lanterns," he said, struggling to remain composed. 

"Oh," Varian said, waddling towards his father on small legs. He seemed unbothered by his glowing, blue hair. "Where are they going?" 

"They're for the lost princess," Quirin said, his voice a little faint as Varian sat down beside him. "Every year on her birthday the King and Queen send her lanterns."

"Oh," Varian said. "How do they fly?" 

For some reason the innocent question put Quirin a little more at ease - this was still his son, still the boy who needed to know how everything worked, who asked too many questions about everything. 

"They uh… there's a little flame in each of them," he said. "The heat from the flame makes the air warmer and the lantern flies."

"Oh," said Varian. He shifted, placing his hands on Quirin'a knees and craning his head up, "So when the fire stops they fall?" 

"Yeah, I guess so," Quirin said. 

"That's cool!" Varian said. He clambered onto Quirin's lap, curling up under his father's chin. His hair was still glowing. Quirin tried not to think about that. 

They were both quiet for a long time, so long that Quirin wondered if Varian had fallen asleep. His hair was still glowing softly, still blue and Quirin sighed quietly. 

Messing with the Moon Opal may have given his wife a few more years, may have given his son a chance to live. But he had no idea of the side effects - maybe glowing blue hair was one of them.

Curled up on his chest, Varian shifted, letting out a long sigh and looking up, not quite at the lanterns - almost as though he was looking somewhere else. His hair suddenly burst into even brighter glow, his freckles flaring with light. 

"She likes them," he whispered, almost too softly for Quirin to hear. 

A slow wave of fear washed over Quirin. Something was wrong - something he didn't fully understand. 

Maybe it was time to go home, beg forgiveness from the king and seek help. 


End file.
